When you're busy or stressed, your first instinct is to order in dinner or pop something in the microwave. If you try cooking more often, you could end up with less stress and a great home-cooked meal.

There are certain dishes most amateur chefs refuse to try. One of the biggies: homemade pasta. But good DIY tagliatelle, fettucini, and tortellini is doable—you don't even need a pasta machine. The cooks at Stack Exchange provide tips on cooking up pasta from scratch.

Dear Lifehacker,
I eat takeout and delivery all the time. I know if I actually cooked my own food I'd eat better, and I spend a silly amount eating out every week, but… I just can't bring myself to get excited about my kitchen. Cooking takes so much longer, and I always feel like a novice in the kitchen. Got any…